God's tears
"Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel." 1 Sam. 15:35
In the beginning, Samuel must have felt so sure of Saul. God had spoken to him, had told him that Saul was the one. Did he wonder if he'd gotten it right? Did he blame himself at all? Did he question God? Why did God pick Saul to begin with if He was all-knowing? Did Saul's failure create a crisis of faith for Samuel?
Samuel's mourning is understandable. But why does the Lord grieve? He knew what was going to happen. And doesn't it happen for a reason? Isn't it the fulfilling of God's warning about the fallible nature of a king?
Or does this just show how deep the love of God is for us? He knows what will happen and what must happen and ultimately uses it to our own good. He knows. And still he can't help but feel deeply for us, grieve for us. Does he grieve that he made Saul king because He made a bad decision? I don't think so. Or does he grieve because of what it does to Saul and what it does to his faithful Samuel? Does He grieve because this is what He knew what would happen and could not keep us from our desire for an earthly king. He can't help but feel even though He warned us.
Or does He grieve because He knows the whole story, the inevitable. Because of sin, He will have to send His son and His son will have to die.
Lord knows.
My post last year on this date.
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